Leviticus

No published English Bible, commentary, or study note was open while Leviticus was drafted. The wording source was the ancient-language witnesses named in the notes. A lexicon or grammar may be used for a source word. Greek, Syriac, and Latin, when they appear, witness the source wording. They are not models for the English.

The continuous copy is the Leningrad Codex, read in the Open Scriptures diplomatic text of the Westminster Leningrad Codex. Dead Sea copies of Leviticus are fragmentary. This draft does not replace Leningrad with a reading that was not read off a fragment. No earlier wording is guessed into the English. The Samaritan Pentateuch and the Greek, Syriac, and Latin versions are witnesses, not the default. Written consonants are printed. Where the Masoretic reading differs, the note says so.

Yahweh prints the divine name. The consonants in the Hebrew are YHWH. The vowels in “Yahweh” are a later convention, not a record of how the oldest copies said the name. See the glossary.

Qorban is a near-offering, something brought near. Nefesh is a person. “Anyone” is the live alternative, and it is not printed.

Olah is a whole offering. Tamim is whole, complete, with nothing missing. “Without blemish” is not printed.

Kipper is to cover, to make atonement. “Atonement” is printed, as in Exodus.

Peder is the suet, the hard fat, not the soft fat named chelev later.

Hiqtir is to turn into smoke. Isheh is a food gift, what is given by fire. Reach nichoach is a soothing scent. The same three choices as in Exodus.

Malaq is to nip the neck. It is not the slaughter word used for the herd and the flock. Nimtzah is drained out.

Mur’ah is the crop. Notsah is the plumage. Deshen is the fat ash of the altar.